A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

A cookie a day . . . just makes the day better! I think there is healing power in a fresh baked cookie! While chocolate chip is the favorite around our house, I occasionally venture out and make other kinds! The Mr. loves. . . as in L.O.V.E.S white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. But I really don't ever make them.  Probably because the macadamia nuts are kind of expensive. The other day, though, I found the macadamia nuts on sale at "Sprouts" so I bagged up some and came home and whipped up these treats! I really do think this dough is better if you're going to eat serve the baked cookies the same day.  I keep the dough made up in an airtight container and bake only the cookies I want need for that particular day. You could also bake off all of the cookie dough and freeze the cookies until needed. These cookies are chocked full of goodness -- they're like the rocky road of cookies! White Chocolate, Cranberry, Macadamia Nut Cookies ...

This is easy. This is tasty. This is my boy cherub's kind of meal!  Meat 'n gravy with mashed potatoes!  OK, broccoli too, but especially the meat! Throw it in the crock pot in the morning and have a satisfying meal that evening! Taste of Home's Picture Cube Steak with Gravy 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 6 beef cubed steaks (4 ounces each) 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings 3 cups water, divided 1 envelope brown gravy mix 1 envelope mushroom gravy mix 1 envelope onion gravy mix Hot mashed potatoes or cooked noodles Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add steaks, a few at a time, and shake until completely coated. In a skillet, cook steaks in oil until lightly browned on each side. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Add the onion and 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender. In a bowl, whisk together gravy mixes with remaining water. Add to slow cooker; cook 30 minu...

It was an extremely busy day:  after-school homework, sports practice, dance class, meetings for the Mr. and curriculum night at school!  Like every other family, balance, otherwise known as "divide and conquer" was our method of operation! Dinner had to be easy, quick, and able to be eaten in shifts! What's a mom to do? My quick, go-to spinach salad with grilled chicken, of course! This night, though, I wanted to try a different salad dressing.  But I couldn't figure out what I wanted.  Then I remembered . . .  . . .While shopping at Costco, I saw a preserve that sounded interesting, so I snagged a H.U.G.E jar of it, hoping we were going to like it! We do! The first night we ate it with grilled chicken. Then I made the salad dressing! The next night, I topped the buttermilk cookies from the other day with a smidge of the buttermilk frosting and a dollop of the preserve. For the record, I think I'm doing fine thinking of ways to use th...

As a rule, cauliflower doesn't really appeal to me. It's . . . white. Just white.  It's actually kind of boring looking. I never look at cauliflower and think, "Yum!  I think I'll have some cauliflower today!" So when I saw the cauliflower ear at the store the other day, I kind of surprised myself when it ended up in my basket! What am I going to do with cauliflower . . .except put cheese on it! I stretched myself a bit and I roasted it! Now, I think "Yum!  I think I want some cauliflower today!" Roasting cauliflower is much like roasting other veggies -- it brings out the natural goodness! Roasted Cauliflower 1 head of cauliflower, cleaned and cut olive oil salt and pepper, to taste Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat over to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower, disregarding the stalks.  You want "chunks" and similar size, but they don't have to be huge. Drizzle (note, it...

When you think of milk, I bet you don't think of buttermilk ! Most of the time, we wrinkle up our nose and think "gross!" I actually love cooking with buttermilk. biscuits ice cream cakes dressings And now, COOKIES! YEAH! These cookies are extremely simple, both in preparation and taste.  "It's just a basic cookie!"  (And I love that!) Buttermilk Cookies with Buttermilk Frosting 1/2 cup butter,  softened 1  cup sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup buttermilk Buttermilk Frosting 3 tablespoons butter,  softened  3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/4 cup buttermilk  1 teaspoon vanilla In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, alternately to the butter mixture. Drop by rounde...

Isn't that cute hair? I did that to my cherub! I have amazed myself! Confession:  I don't really know what to do with hair. Mine's short. Mine sticks up -- on purpose! I've never had long hair. My mother would not let me have long hair. Probably because she didn't know what to do either. She says, "Sweetie, your hair wouldn't grow!" Really? Because I'm an every 5 weeks kind of hair cut girl and that's only because I need it every 3 weeks but I'm too cheap so I stretch it out! And when I do finally go, I look like I've been sheered. So -- I don't think it's about not growing. I may need a therapist to help me through this! Back to my cherub -- Cute hair on the first day of school. And the second too! That's because of this website! www.cutegirlshairstyles.com There's videos and everything ! You can even look at the hair blogs SHE reads and find ev...

Feast your eyes on these beauties! Yummy! Kay, don't tell anybody, but this is your snack today!  The Mr. is holding them  hostage in the refrigerator! Seriously! Go look! This is the Mr's dream come true!  His two very favorite desserts all smooshed together into one glorious, lip smacking, hope I can have seconds kind of dessert! Can you see the temptation? The delicious, fudgey, gooey brownie cupcake with the raw (eggless) chocolate chip cookie dough glooped in the middle with a bit of chocolate drizzled on top -- just because we need it! You know you want to make this! Here's the good news!  It can be made all from scratch or it can be made using mixes!  You decide! I made mine from scratch, but I really do think the same principles will work with mixes -- heck give it a try -- what's the worse that can happen?  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Cupcake Your favorite brownie recipe, a mi...

I used to be a Southern Living Recipe snob. It's true! At one time, I had 20 years worth of Southern Living Annual Cookbooks! I could think of a recipe and go right to the year and find it with no problem! There were several reasons why I loved Southern Living, but one of the most important reasons is that the recipes were usually keepers!  Rarely did they disappoint.  The bad thing, though, was you may need an $8.00 jar of spice for only a tsp. of use!  So, they weren't always "pantry friendly." But now, with the world of recipes at our finger-tips, the need for "selective Southern cooking" isn't tied to a particular annual.  However, there are some tried and true meals that I always return to. Chicken Dumpling Pie is a real keeper!  When you're short on time and want a meal in a bowl, this is one casserole to whip up! Chicken Dumpling Pie 2 cups chopped chicken or turkey, cooked 2 cans cream of chick soup, undiluted 1 can chicken ...

I remember making a S'more treat a long time ago. I can't find the recipe anywhere. I remember that when I made this treat, I gave the recipe to my friends. I remember e-mailing them a couple of years ago to get my recipe back. I can't remember where I put that recipe! I was cleaning out the office today and guess what I found! The recipe that I had made, that I lost, that I got back, that I lost again, and found again! I'm putting it here -- so hopefully I'll remember next time I want to make this S'more treat! S'more Bars 3 cups graham cracker crumbs 3/4 cup melted butter 1/3 cup sugar 3 cups mini marshmallows 2 cups chocolate chips Melt butter, add sugar and graham cracker crumbs; mix well. Press 1/2 of the crumb mixture into a greased 9 X 13 pan.  Sprinkle the marshmallows and chocolate chips on top of crust.  Sprinkle remaining cracker mixture on top; trying to cover the best you can. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remo...

Do you see the storm clouds in this picture? We hadn't seen clouds -- or the chance of rain in weeks. This week -- we had hope! My little cherub found her raincoat and an empty box. She had a plan! She was so excited about the cooler weather and the chance of rain! She stood at the curb with this sign she made! Do you know, she got 4 honks and a wave! It rained!

The cherubs have been asking to fry an egg on the sidewalk. It's been HOT where we live. 40 days at or above 100 degrees! So, we put the trick to a test! My girl cherub cracks her egg. She splats . . . I mean, scrambles it on the hot sidewalk. My boy cherub gently (HA!) cracks his egg on the sidewalk, being close to the ground so he can fry it. They patiently stand by, with spatula in hand, as they wait for the eggs to cook. And wait. And wait. And wait! The result: The scrambled egg did cook-ish because it was a thinner egg mixture. The fried egg did not cook.  The white never got white! The cherubs gave up and went inside where it was cooler!

It was Saturday and there were some unexpected activities around the house. Like when I turned on the water at the kitchen sink. And turned it off. And turned it on again . . . Except it didn't turn on again . . . The faucet handle fell off. As in  OFF!   Like, in my hand -- not attached to the faucet-y thing. "MR!  MR!  Hey!  There's a problem!" (that's what I was yelling to him!) 3 hours later, we've got a new kitchen faucet. Impressive! Not the faucet -- but that the Mr. could get that taken care of so quickly! Trust me, that's not what the Mr. had planned for his Saturday. While he was busy working, hoping to finish before he had to be at church that evening, the cherubs where in their room concocting a plan. "Let's make dad a special dinner.  He's worked hard today!" Their little minds go to town -- appetizers, main course, special tea, and dessert! The...

The other night while cooking dinner, I felt like I was doing a Pampered Chef demonstration!  We were having veggie pizza AND fruit pizza and I had out all of the Pampered Chef gadgets to make the meal quick and easy! These two pizzas have been around forever and you probably don't even need the recipe, unless of course, it's been so long since you've made them last that you can't remember where you put that little piece of paper! With the temperature so hot outside, it's nice to have an easy meal that's both cool and healthy! Veggie Pizza 1 can crescent rolls 1 - 8oz cream cheese, softened 1-2 tsp. dill seasoning (or to taste) 2 cups assorted chopped veggies (fresh:  carrots, corn, squash, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, broccoli, etc) Unroll crescent rolls and press seams together, creating a rectangle.  Bake according to package directions.  Allow crust to cool. Stir together the cream cheese and dill.  Spread over the ...

While on the Staycation at my Sister-in-Law's house, I saw a cookbook that I hadn't read before. I flipped through and saw several easy-to-prepare foods that sounded tempting. She let me borrow her book with the promise that I'd mark any recipe that we tried! That's a deal! This recipe is so easy that the Mr. and the cherubs whipped it up while I was running an errand! The noodles go great with grilled chicken and a side of steamed broccoli. Photo by Taste of Home Creamy Italian Noodles 1 8oz package wide egg noodles 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup  heavy whipping cream, half and half OR evaporated milk (I used fat-free 1/2 and 1/2) 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 1/4 tsp. dry Italian salad dressing mix* Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and place in a bowl.  Toss with the butter.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve while hot. *Measure out the dry dressing mix -- to your delight, there's more than 2 1/4 t...

We did a "staycation" with our family, my brother's family, and my mom.  We had a great time and here's a few pictures to prove it! We all went to my brother's house.  They had put up outdoor lights and a mister in the back yard with the patio table and chairs.  We hung out playing games in the evenings.  During the day, we took a little road trip to some smaller towns close by and another day we did local attractions like museums and aquariums. Each family was responsible for one meal each day.  Our goal was easy and convenient!  No fancy dishes or a "big bunch of stuff."  Simple was the mindset. We all unplugged and had a great time relaxing and hanging out together! The two cherubs with their cherub cousin.  Looks real, doesn't it!  The Dinosaur park in Glenrose, Tx was fun! Besides going and doing things around town, the cherubs created activities each day!  This was "crazy hair" night! We als...

While we were on vacation in the mountains, we made a new concoction and we thought it was delicious! The night we had it, we sat outside, in our sweatshirts, and came up with a name to call it. "Red River Green Chili Chicken" won! If you make it, you can call it whatever you want! The top picture, it's served on top of a deli thin that's been toasted on the grill.  This is on a toasted deli thin with green salsa on top of it!  This is my favorite way to consume this dish:  Red River Chili Chicken on top of a corn muffin that's been split open! Red River Green Chili Chicken 1/2 onion, chopped 2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped 1-2 cans chopped green chili, drained 3-4 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped cheese bread Taking your onion in a large pan with butter or olive oil, saute until tender. Throw in the chopped chicken, green chili's, and cooked bacon.  Stir until thoroughly heated. Top the mixture with a small ...

When I make salsa, we like a lot of cilantro in the mix. The problem with cilantro is this: When I buy it, I'm not always in the mood to make salsa and When I'm ready to make salsa, the cilantro isn't always in the mood to be used. It looks gross and limp and brown around the edges. I call that "cilantro pouting!" THEN!  I found the most amazing thing:  Cilantro in a box! It's like the chicken bouillon cubes that we all used (and maybe still do). The good thing about this remarkable find is that it's ready whenever I am! No brown edges and no droopy leaves. There are two things that you need to know about using this miracle cilantro:  if you're looking for the green cilantro leaves to be making their debut in your salsa, then you'll have to know they're not making that curtain call.  But I don't let that bother me!  I look at it as saving money -- at least I'm not throwing ou...

Celebrating the 49th birthday of a friend with bright cupcake sugar cookies!

Strawberry + lime= a great taste. So I wanted to make an ice cream with those ingredients. I love ice cream and really, really LOVE homemade ice cream. And honestly, I feel more motherly when I make ice cream. OK, not really, but if I can blame my addictions on my kids, it seems a little less threatening! I was so excited about this recipe that I kind of found, but not really, but enough to create my own version of a recipe that I didn't really find. I whipped it up, put it in the ice cream freezer and watched it mix.  Dumped it into my official "homemade ice cream" container and couldn't WAIT for it to ripen so that I could share it with the family. I knew they'd love it and be so impressed with me . . . and the ice cream . . .but mostly me. I gave them each a bite and the response was: "Yeah, it's OK." " OK ?!?!?!!"  Are you kidding me? It's more than " OK ." It's " Wow mom!  This stuff i...

When it's 100 degrees at 10:00 at night and the neighbor's water sprinkler is broken kids will find something fun to do!